The New Girl
by ElyssaKathleen
Summary: Brandi is the newest member of La Push High School! YAY! And Jacob just happens to fall for her! ANOTHER YAY! But, is there something strange about the new girl? Of course. Set before Breaking Dawn. Jake/OC Bella/Edward
1. Introduction

School Sucks

Brandi's POV

I have been called many things. 'Emo', 'druggie', and 'hooker', to name a few of the nicer ones. A lot of people think I'm an idiot. After all, I got Fs on my exams. Actually, I just didn't care enough to try. But I'm really very smart. After all, I can cuss in 5 different languages.

Moving from Phoenix to San Diego made my life horrible. My 'powers', as my dad so eloquently put it, were worthless against cliques and other popularity ratings. And once people find out that the popular ones were shunning me, well, it was only a matter of time before I was friendless. My exotic looks could've helped me on the friend front, except that everyone was afraid of the trendy ones. I eventually got involved with a gang and spent my evenings hurling eggs at cars and getting felt up by drunk guys. Not a good way to 'waste my life'. (According to… well, everyone.)

I eventually got so bad; my foster parents got fed up and sent me to Forks, Washington. My mother, Regina Quill, lived there on the La Push reservation. She'd finally received custody.

My first day there sucked. Fortunately, I got there on a Friday, so I had a whole weekend in front of me.


	2. School Sucks

It's really cliché, but on my first day, everything that could go wrong, did. I woke up at 8:00, and had thirty minutes to get ready and get to school. I couldn't find my favorite pair of jeans, but found my second favorite behind the dresser. With fifteen minutes to get to school, I didn't have time to wonder how they got there.

I ran downstairs and grabbed a Pop-Tart, calling over my shoulder, "Bye Mom!"

"Have a good day!" was her faint answer. Yeah, right.

My car was out of gas, so I ran to school, barely making it in time. I walked into the main office of Quilulite Reservation High School to find no one there. Slackers. You'd think that everyone would know about Regina Quill's daughter. When the receptionist finally did come in, I just about jumped on her.

"Brandi Quill?" she asked.

"Yeah, I need my schedule." I shifted from foot to foot, trying to get her to hurry up so I wouldn't be late to class. It didn't work.

I ended up running to my second period classroom and sat in the farthest row back from the teacher's desk. As the bell rang, the man at the desk stood up. "Hi, I'm Mr. Madsen."

I swore under my breath, too low for anyone around me to hear, and ran to the door. I barely made it before the teacher caught me.

I was in the wrong freakin' classroom!

My face burning, I walked the halls, trying to calm down. What a horrible first day. I really should've asked for a map.

Soon I was lost. Turning a corner I had never seen before, but figured it was better then any, I walked straight into this guy's shoulder. Well, actually, it was his arm, because this guy was _huge_. The boys around him were just as big as he was, if not bigger. They towered over me. And I'm not exactly short, either. The one I had walked into turned around, and I noticed he had the muscles of a bodybuilder. Just my luck. I had to run into a jock, and not just any jock, but a jock that could, literally, break me in half.

"Hey. I haven't seen you around. Are you new here?" one of them asked, diverting my attention from the one I ran into.

Ah, well. If my past experiences were any indication, jocks are bullies. And there's only one way to deal with bullies…

I flipped him off. Which might not have been the smartest thing to do, but I tend to do things without thinking.

"What the hell?!?" another one of them yelped.

I cordially turned and flashed him a smile. "Oh, my bad. You want some too?"

I flipped him off, _and _did the universal sign for loser.

"You-! What was that for?!?"

I just grinned, showing them all my teeth in that smile that most people at my old school called weird. Did they notice how my incisors were bigger than the average person's?

Apparently they did, because they shut up real fast. Even though the smallest one of them was twice the size of me, but I could take on any one of them, and win, too. Maybe they were starting to sense that. The bell rang, and I swept off, hoping lunch was soon. I was getting hungry.

Lunch. How on earth was I going to survive lunch? Deciding to cross that bridge when it came, I went and camped out in the girl's restroom. It wasn't even lunch yet, and already I had enemies.

Needless to say, the day pretty much followed that pattern.


	3. CRAP

Jake's POV

Supposedly Gina Quill's kid was coming over to meet me and my dad, Billy. We didn't know anything about her, except her name was Brandi. The problem was, we were s'posed to meet her when Sam called a meeting.

Worse, it was my job to break it to Sam. Crap. Well, better get it over with.

I picked up the phone, and after a moment of nervousness, I dialed.

Someone picked up. "'Lo."

"Hi… is Sam there?"

"Yeah. Hold on a sec."

I heard yelling in the background, then a small scuffle.

"Hi." Sam's voice suddenly came over the phone.

"Hi, this is Jake… I just called to say that somegirlnamedBrandiiscomingover, soIcan'tcometothepackmeeting, sorry!" I hung up as fast as I could.

Thank god that was over.

Billy yelled, "Jake!" up the stairs.

"Yeah?"

"Put nice clothes on!"

Ugh. Wasn't it bad enough that I was missing a pack meeting? I had to dress up, too? I bet Brandi won't dress up.

***

"We're here!" my mom said happily.

I cracked one eyelid open from where I was slumped in the back seat of the car and climbed out of my mom's old Chevy. The house I saw was small and barely two storied.

It looked… cozy. Inviting.

The man who came out of the house diverted my attention. He was in a wheelchair, and had trouble maneuvering across the muddy ground that always seemed to cover Forks.

Finally I took pity on him and went to help. Mom, who was buried in the crap we had in the trunk of the car, was too busy. He held out his hand to me instead.

I took it, and, not sure of what to do, said, "I'm Brandi Swan."

The surprise in his face was evident. I was instantly on my guard. "What?" I asked waspishly.

"Nothing," he replied, to quickly for it to be true.

I stared at him with narrow eyes, trying to 'lift' the answers out of his mind, but failed. My 'powers' didn't include mind reading.

He stared back evenly, and I had the uncanny feeling he knew what I was doing and was trying to beat me at my own game. I was the first to tear my eyes away.

"Shall we?" he asked, when Mom joined us, and I realized I still didn't know his name. Oh, well.

Once we reached the house, we went straight to the living room. "Jake!" the man called up the stairs.

While he was occupied, I quietly asked Mom, "What's his name?"

She replied, "Billy."

I let out a breath of air and rolled my eyes upward. 'Billy' was almost as bad as 'Bob' on the Horrible Nickname Scale.

Billy rolled back in, a boy following him. My breath caught. It was the same kid I had flipped off this morning.

We stared at each other, oblivious to whatever Billy and my Mom where saying. I can't tell you what was going on in Jake's mind, but I can tell you what was in mine. My one and only thought was:

_Holy crap. Holycrapholycrapholycrap._


	4. Can anyone say 'insane?

It appears that I've forgotten to put disclaimers... crap. Anyway, I DO OWN TWILIGHT! YAY!!!! ...No, not yay, I don't. :p Stephenie still hasn't gotten back to me about selling the rights to Twilight... DAMN!

Anyway, the review button won't bite, so kindly click on it and leave a review!

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Can Anyone Say 'Insane?' 

Jake's POV:

Hey… That was the girl that flipped us the bird this morning. It's really hard to forget about that. I mean, really. What was that for, anyway? Bella would never have done that.

Bella. I usually tried to avoid thinking about her. It was too painful. After all, she had left me for a leech.

No. I shook my head, trying to push the thoughts out of my mind. After all, there was a reason I had tried not to think about her. It depressed me. So I did something more enjoyable.

I went back to staring at Brandi. She mesmerized me. The way her black hair ruffled in the slight breeze that was roaming the house from the window we had opened. The way her bright blue eyes glittered in the sunlight. The way her tan skin (natural, I noticed) looked-

"Jake?" Billy said. "Are you okay? You look kinda-"

"Spacey," Brandi filled in. She looked fine, but I could sense the fury coming off her in waves.

I realized I had been staring at her longer than was polite. "Yeah-" I cleared my throat. "Yeah, I'm fine."

I was still in shock. All the air – what air? - in my body was gone. I couldn't breathe, and yet, I didn't need to breathe.

Brandi was my air.

It was like I had told Bella. Imprinting. It's like the earth moves and she was my sun. My world. The lyrics of a song I'd heard tumbled through my head.

**I'd do anything for you  
I'd change the world  
And give it back to you  
And everything I got  
I'd give it all to you  
I'd do anything for you **

**(A/N: ****Walters Jamie I'd Do Anything For You Lyrics)**

And it was exactly like that. I couldn't imagine life without her, and I couldn't figure out how I survived without her before.

I wanted to promise her the moon. But judging by the way she had flipped us the bird before, one does not promise Brandi the moon. One either delivers it, or shuts the hell up.

And what amazed me more: I could even think about Bella without it hurting too much.

It sounded mushy even in my head, but that was how I felt. She was my life preserver, and I was drowning.

I smothered a grin. Somehow I knew she wouldn't like that comparison. Maybe it was because she flipped me off for doing nothing.

***

Brandi's POV:

Oh, crap. Crap, _crap_, CRAP!!

I restrained myself from showing any emotion on my face, except what I hoped was polite indifference. I also kept myself from cussing out loud. I had promised my mom I wouldn't say any word worse than crap. That plan was probably going to go to ashes if I opened my mouth.

It didn't help that the kid was staring at me all googily-eyed. He looked like he was going to start feeling me up right there.

I sent him a look that said, _You try it, and I will stick my hand down your throat, rip out your guts, and force-feed them to you. _Only in more grisly, street-like terms; and involving a different part of the male anatomy. It, also, involved ripping off. I probably wouldn't need to make him eat it, though. Just making him scream would be enough. I smiled grimly to myself. It seemed one thing had continued from my gang time.

I still liked seeing grown men cry.

"So. Brandi, right?"

I blinked, caught off guard. "Err… yeah."

Billy and my mom had walked into the kitchen, and couldn't hear us. That's probably what prompted the perv-jock to come closer.

He leaned down, and I backed away. If he really wanted to mess with me, that probably wouldn't have stopped him. Even so, the first lesson I had learned on the streets was that you always wanted to have as much space between you and everyone else as possible.

Anyway, this guy was way too big for comfort.

He wasn't too bad to look at, I admitted to myself. His black hair flopped over his eyes, which were a warm chocolaty brown. He was like a foot taller than my 5'7". I felt small compared to him. He still had a rock-hard body, but maybe I was being picky. I didn't like big-muscled guys. He looked about 25, which meant he wasn't getting near me. I mean; I'm totally for dating older guys, but not guys 9 years older than me. Which meant, if he didn't back up within two seconds, I was going back to the ripping off of body parts.

He didn't get that, though. If he understood my silent contempt and warning, he didn't show it. If anything, he moved closer. I gulped. There was an incredible heat radiating off him. He didn't seem dangerous, but they usually don't…

My mom came back in the room, talking over her shoulder and laughing.

I jumped back from him like a guilty child who had been caught stealing a cookie from the jar. I almost flushed from embarrassment. Then I mentally shook some sense back into myself. Damn him! (Oops... Ah, oh well.) I hadn't done anything wrong! Why did I feel bad?

As if he could feel the glare I directed at him, Jacob shifted from foot to foot, obviously uncomfortable. That's right, I thought smugly. Be afraid.

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I do love writting this story.

XD Hope you liked it!


	5. Clueless

Sorry for the wait. If anyone cares... but I know I have 2 faithful readers! YAY YOU 2!!! I love you both! Lys and pirateXfangirl! Thanks! :D

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Jake's POV:

While Billy and Gina were talking, I was caught up in my erratic thoughts. They all centered on one person.

Brandi.

I had never imprinted before. Why hadn't I imprinted yesterday? I had looked at her.

Wondering over this, I barely came back to earth long enough to mutter, "Bye," when they left. Brandi had never stopped glaring at me after she had jumped away from me like I had mono. In a daze, I walked up to my small, one-person room.

Mono… the kissing disease. I wouldn't mind kissing her…

I settled in to wait.

Three minutes after they left (I counted), the pack rang the doorbell. They all knew, which didn't surprise me. I didn't bother moving. They all bounded up the stairs to my room.

"Jake?" Sam stuck his head in. "Come out here."

"Why can't you come in here?" But I was already getting off the bed.

"Because Billy said if we break his house again, he's suing us. It wasn't my fault that Paul and Embry broke his table. How was I supposed to know it was priceless? I always figured that 'priceless' meant you couldn't hawk it for anything. Jeez. Just 'cause I'm pack leader, everyone assumes it's my fault. 'You should be able to stop them, Sam!' There are more of you than there are of me. Ugh." He ducked back out. Obviously Emily was mad at him about something.

I caught the door before it slammed shut. Hesitating, I listened as Embry's voice floated into the room.

"- Jake imprinted, huh?"

"Yeah, Embry. You mean you didn't know that?" Jared asked.

"I did! I just wanted to make sure we all got it. I mean; if I was the only one who got it, you never know, he might have made it up. This way, if we all got it, then-"

"He's definitely been making it up," the rest of the pack filled in.

I decided to head downstairs before there was any more humor at my expense. "Hey, guys. 'Sup?" I called, walking down our tiny stairs, while trying to avoid hitting my head.

"Who's the girl?" they chorused. Well. How rude of them. Not even a hello.

I sighed and told them, "Brandi. 'Bout so high…" I gestured. "And with black hair and blue eyes. She wears a necklace, a round disk, and it's silver."

"No way! The-"

"Paul." Sam said, sending him a warning look.

"- _girl_ that flipped us off?!? _Her_? Are you INSANE??" He glared daggers at me. If looks could kill…

I considered that. "Dunno. Maybe."

"You-!"

"_Paul_."

"- _idiot_! What the-"

"Paul!"

"- hell were you thinking?!?"

"I wasn't thinking!"

"Obviously!" Paul snorted.

"You don't think when you imprint! I just did, okay?"

"It's not okay!" Paul and I were toe-to-toe now.

Sam intervened. "Okay, both of you break it up. He imprinted, and you can't change that, Paul. The question is, what are we gonna do now?"

We stared at each other. What _were_ we gonna do now?

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XD Thanks for reading! Please review!


	6. The Gang with the Wimpy Name

Hey, I am SO SORRY I haven't updated in a long time! Homework, winter break, it all gets to you. Okay, so if you leave so nice reviews, I'll add more! :D Deal?

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The Gang With the Wimpy Name 

Brandi's POV:

I took off my iPod and sighed. In the two weeks I had been at La Push, nothing had changed. My standoffish attitude kept everyone away. I didn't miss having friends, but it would've been nice to have a few. A gang would have been nice, too. There was only one problem.

The only gang around was Jacob Black's. (They were the ones I flipped off.) And, to make things worse, they called themselves 'The Protectors.' I mean, that sure strikes fear in people. *Cough**, not, **cough*

School hadn't improved much either. I was a sophomore at my old school, but because I was the same age as most juniors, I was put in the junior class. It didn't make the schoolwork any easier, though. I had skipped school enough in my junior year to warrant my failing of most of my classes. I don't even know why I passed into sophomore year. Probably because none of my teachers wanted to deal with me for another year.

Anyway, school was hard.

"Umm… Brandi?" The voice came from the seat to my right.

That was the problem with Forks and La Push. Everyone knew your name, your parents, your birth date, and your age. Was nothing private anymore?

Not even bothering to stifle a sigh of impatience, I turned towards the girl. "What?"

She flinched at the open hostility in my voice. "…Hi. I- I'm Christie. Christie Serna." She spoke as if she was already regretting talking to me.

"Yeah. So? Get to the point already." Okay, maybe the fact I don't have any friends was mainly because I was rude. So? Who needs friends anyway?

"I was wondering…" she trailed off uncertainly. 'Would you like to go to a party?"

I turned away and didn't say anything. She took that for a yes.

"It'll be this Friday, from eight to midnight. It's at Jake's."

I swung toward her. "Jake _Black's_?!?"

She winced again, and the surprise and fear in her eyes was apparent. "Yes…?"

"I won't be there." I strode out the door.

***

Jake's POV:

Damn. She said she wouldn't come. Was she a vampire? I shook my head impatiently. No. I would smell it. Anyway, the treaty we made wouldn't allow them over the line. She was just a regular human…

But that didn't change the fact she wouldn't come. Why not? I had never said much to her. Why would she hate me? Maybe I would ask her just that.

I hurried to catch up with her.

"Brandi, wait up."

She didn't slow down.

"Brandi! Why won't you come to the party?"

Wheeling around, she told me in very concise, clipped vocabulary exactly where I could stick my party.

When I finally had enough sense to close my mouth, I managed, "You swear like a sailor, anyone told you that before?"

She snorted. "Yeah, on several occasions."

"Okay, so why won't you come?"

"Has it ever occurred to you that I might have something better to do than play tea party with a bunch of overgrown brats?"

I had no answer to that.

***

Brandi's POV:

Okay, so I lied. I had nothing to do Friday night, and it didn't help that I could hear the party because the Blacks live a couple yards away from me. Yeah, we were basically next-door neighbors. Dammit. Of all the houses in La Push…

"Brandi?"

I sighed. Don't get me wrong, I love my mom (a lot more than I'll ever love my dad), but she's a parent. They're annoying all by themselves.

"Yeah?"

"Isn't there a party going on at the Blacks?"

"I wouldn't know."

There was a pause. "Oh. So you mean you weren't invited?"

"I didn't say that." I left it at that, because I really didn't want to get into the fact the Jacob Black found me hot.

I mean; you just don't talk about that kinda stuff with your mother.

Suddenly the door opened. "So, were you invited or not?"

"Kinda."

"It's either you were invited or you weren't. Which is it?" Usually my mom looks for 'the deeper meaning', which basically means she thinks with her heart and emotions (she's an artist), but because I'm her only child, she has these times where she just wants cold, hard facts when it comes to me.

"I was. I just don't want to go." I said it with such conviction even my mother wouldn't argue with me.

"Brandi…" Uh-oh. I knew this tone of voice. It was mothering. "Have you made many friends?"

While she was waiting for an answer, I mentally went through the choices I had for an answer. Yes, no, sorta, and not really. I settled for a vague "Umm."

Of course, Mom didn't fall for that.

"I got a call from Billy," she continued ruthlessly, as if she wanted to get this over with, and she wouldn't stop for anything. "He said Jake invited you."

"Jake hasn't talked to me since we went over to Billy's." It wasn't really a lie, because Jake hadn't really talked to me. I'd done most of the talking yesterday.

"So you weren't invited?"

I shrugged. I really didn't want to get into this conversation.

She sighed. "Just go."

And that's how I ended up spending Friday night at a place I really didn't want to be.

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Like it? If you do, REVIEW!!! That means pressing that little green/white/whatever the hell color that button is down there! Please? -gives you the puppy-dog eyes-


	7. Do I Even Need to Say It?

Sorry I haven't been on in a bit, school, ya know? XD

Oh, and if you have time to go float around on youtube, check out Nevershoutnever!. He's cute, and he can SING! :D

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Do I Even Need To Say Werewolves Are Idiots?

Jake's POV:

The party sucked. There were only werewolves and those that knew our secrets at the party, so all the werewolves knew what I was thinking about. They wasted no time telling everyone else, either.

Brandi was the only thing on my mind.

We were out on the back porch, and Sam, Paul, and Jared were arguing over the grill on how to barbecue Southern style. None of them knew, so I didn't see a reason why they were even trying to barbecue like that.

The rest of them were talking and laughing, waiting for Billy to start the story telling. The delicious smell of roasted hotdogs wafted from the campfire.

I had eaten before, but not as much as usual. The campfire reminded me of Bella. We had eaten hotdogs here once before. She'd been so pretty. And once again, fascinated by our stories. Jeez, I missed her… but she had someone else. And so did I.

I was looking out toward the forest, thinking about Brandi, when I noticed a burning smell. And it wasn't Jared burning the food, either, though he had a bad habit of doing that. I hope Kim can cook.

I sat bolt upright. Unless my nose was wrong, there was a bloodsucker on our land.

"Guys!" My shout got them all to look at me. I was pulling off my shirt and shucking my shoes.

"Jake! Not right before dinner!" they chorused, laughing.

"Do any of you smell leech?" I asked.

They took a minute to sniff the air. "…Yeah."

Within a minute, the werewolves were on our way.

***

Brandi's POV:

I walked out of my house, angry and depressed. Mom had gotten me to go to the party somehow. And change into a 'nice' shirt. It was frilly, and totally unsuited for… well, _me_.

I decided to head through the woods for a change of scenery. The road was too open, and Mom could watch me go up it. This way, if I decided not to go to Jake's, Mom wouldn't know.

Sometimes, I happen to think I'm smarter then I actually am. Usually I'm brought back to Earth pretty quick, and tonight was no exception.

***

Jake's POV:

No matter how much I whine (Haha, get it? _Whine?_ Cuz I'm a werewolf…? Oh, never mind!) , I will always love being a werewolf. Running at speeds faster than a car, crazy strength, _everything_ is awesome.

Except for maybe people having the ability to read my mind.

_Jake, enough! Stop thinking about her!_ Embry complained.

I growled at him.

We were running like shadows through the trees. The vampire smell was getting stronger the closer we came to Brandi's house. Suddenly we came upon a clearing, and my blood ran cold, or at least, as cold as it could get in my overheated body.

Brandi was standing across the clearing from a vampire, talking easily to him.

Man, I was never going to hear the end of falling in love with not just one, but _two_ leech-lovers.

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Kinda short... it's mostly a set-up for the next chapter. XD


	8. Will Somebody Clean Up the Vampire Ashes

Yay! This one is longer! :D

Love you guys, and please drop a nice review for me! I don't mind flames, either.

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Will Someone Please Sweep Up the Vampire Ashes on Aisle Three?

Brandi's POV:

How was I to have known that I would be cornered in the clearing I found? It was a very peaceful clearing, and the sun going down only added to its beauty.

Unfortunately, some vampires can be very ugly, which obviously does _not_ add to the beauty. I mean, ugly on the inside. Which sounds like adult BS, but it really isn't. Unless, you know, the person/thing/vampire is soulless.

But still. It was a nice clearing.

The vampire had jumped out of the trees and surprised me. I had crossed to the other side of the clearing faster than was humanly possible, but he hadn't noticed. I immediately checked my speed, knowing he would have detected it if I had waited for a moment longer.

"You smell wonderful, my dear," he drawled in an obviously fake Texas accent.

I mentally rolled my eyes. How corny. This vamp had a bunch to learn if he thought that would entice me.

"Hi. I know that accent of yours is a fake." I smiled sweetly at him, but the smile slipped when he came closer.

His eyes were a very dark crimson.

So he wasn't one of the 'veggie vamps', as one of my friends, Jack, had told me lived around here. Maybe Jack was wrong. After all, he is usually high off some drug or the other. In the end, perhaps they are really a myth. ...Dammit. That so does not increse my chances of getting out of here alive the minute I turned 18.

"I am here to drink your blood." Oh my god, he watches way too much _Dracula_.

I took an experimental step backwards. No go. His eyes tracked my every move, every shift of my weight.

"Well, you won't get any tonight," I said confidently, conjuring fire into my hand. The smile on his face froze. He quickly pulled himself together, though.

"Ah, a witch, are you?" he inquired at last. I saw the subtle tightening of his muscles as he prepared to attack.

"No, silly," I laughed, showing my teeth. It was enough to make him back up a step, though he disguised it with a cough. I wasn't fooled. Vampires don't get sick.

I threw a fireball at him, which he wasn't quite quick enough to totally dodge. It didn't quite hit where I wanted to, but it was effective. He screamed in agony.

I smirked. Music to my ears.

There was new limb on the ground, an arm. I immediately set in on fire. He screeched again, a high, keening sound that set my teeth on edge. Ow. Owww! And he couldn't even feel the severed arm on the ground. Asshole. He was doing that just to annoy me.

"Don't be a wuss." His screeches continued. "Shut. Up," I said, biting off each word. I accented my anger with another fireball. The pain must have been slowing him down, because that one hit its mark: right in the center of his chest.

I'm not exactly merciful.

Since I had no claws or teeth to rip him up with, I settled for burning him. It took a bit longer than I would have liked, but I did it. Each separate part had to be burned, and it was like rubber: hard to catch on fire, but once it did it would not stop. Worse was the heavy black smoke it gave off. It burned my throat.

I stood looking at my handiwork, a satisfied smile in my face, despite my injured throat. It had been a while since I had killed a vampire, and I was sadly out of practice, but voila! Dead.

I had seen the rustling bushes he had been in earlier, yet I had not paid any attention to them. I was very out of practice. I used to not even let them within a mile of me, and now they were right on my back.

I hadn't bothered to ask his name, because it's often better if you don't know the name of the creature you are trying to kill. It's bad business to be friendly and then kill people, and it only adds to your heavy conscience.

Suddenly a thought hit me and I glanced down at my ruined clothes, smiling. No party for me.

I strolled home, keeping half my brain on my surroundings. This was the first time in a long time that I had used my powers, and the memories flowed.

Being born with these powers had set me apart from other kids, for me and for them. Kids can sense danger better then adults, so there was always an invisible wall between us. I didn't like them anyway, so I only had one friend growing up. My cousin, Bella Swan.

Yep. We'd been best friends back in Phoenix.

"_Hey Bella! Guess what!" I barged right into her house, not bothering to knock. My aunt (though not by blood) wouldn't care. _

_I grew up in two homes. My home, filled with anger and violence, and Bella's home, filled with love and caring. It didn't matter that she lived with one parent, whereas I lived with two. _

"_What?" She looked up, expecting, I'm sure, to find me with a slug or something like that. I wasn't the kind of girl who would bring flowers in for my mom. _

"_My dad's moving out!" _

_She jumped up and hugged me. "Yay!" _

_You're wondering: why is that a good thing? You're, how old, 10? Don't kids need their father? _

_My answer is yes… and no. _Kids_ need their father. _I_ don't. _

_If you had known me when I was nine, and you had asked me to pull up my shirtsleeves so you could see my skin, I would have refused. Not because I was conscious about my looks, but because I was ordered not to let anyone see my skin. After my doctor started asking questions, I didn't even get check-ups anymore. _

_My father had a hard time keeping a job. So he drank to get rid of the pain, the guilt. _

_My father was a harsh drunk. He didn't laugh more, or get silly, or fall down, asleep. No, he beat us. My mother and I. _

_She defended me, and kicked him out of the house many times. She even got a restraining order. _

_But he still came back. _

_It's ironic, isn't it, that my father was a drunk, and my uncle, a cop? My grandmother told me that she thought my uncle got the 'good' genes, and my dad got the 'bad' genes. _

"_Does that mean I'm bad?" I remember asking her. _

_And the weird thing is, I don't remember an answer. _

_When my teacher finally figured it out, we pressed charges. He was sentenced to 10 years in jail. Those next 10 years were some of the happiest in my life. I mean, they were supposed to be. But they didn't turn out that way._

***

Jake's POV:

Whoa. Did she just…? Yeah, I guess so. Ignoring the stunned silence between my fellow pack-mates, I ran after Brandi without a thought of what I was going to say. Consequently, the first thing that came out of my mouth when I finally caught up with her was, "No offense, Brandi, but you smell really bad."

Not exactly going to get the girl of my warped, masochistic dreams to fall in love with me.

* * *

:D Aren't they just so cute?!

Click the greenish/white button please! It won't bite, I promise!


	9. Go Bella!

Sooo sorry it's been so long! - Chris

* * *

Jake's POV:

When we made it back to the house, all we could think about was Brandi. Emily and the rest of them were confused, but willing to listen. Sam, Jared, and I told them what had happened. We told them how Brandi had shot fire out of her palms, how it came out of nowhere. The question no one could answer was what she was.

"Man, Jake, you imprint on a _freak_? Makes sense, cause you _are_ a freak, but I would've thought you'd have more sense then– "

"Jake? Go out and find Brandi," Sam ordered, interrupting Seth's teasing.

What did I do? What does one do when Sam orders one to 'find Brandi?' I don't know, but for me…

I went out to find Brandi.

***

Brandi's POV:

I didn't want to be found. I knew Sam or someone would come and find me. I also knew they had no chance of discovering me here.

I had gone to Forks. Bella would help me. She had promised. That's how I found myself standing by her house, throwing rocks at her window.

"Edward?" Finally, she stuck her head out of her window.

"No. It's me." I didn't bother to introduce myself. She would know.

"Brandi!" There was a scuffling noise, then she stuck her head out and called, "Come on up."

I shimmied up the tree outside her window, jumping the last few feet. I landed without a sound on the hardwood floor, but we looked towards Charlie's room, as a reflex action. We shared a nervous laugh when we didn't hear anything.

Suddenly we were hugging each other, laughing quietly. Bella would have been bouncing in excitement if Charlie weren't sleeping.

"What are you doing here, Brandi?" Bella and I finally calmed down enough to sit on the side of the bed.

"I'm visiting you, Bell!" The only friends I had ever had, besides my mother, were Bella and Renee, her mother. They were the only ones who could stand my moods.

"Yep!" And we shared another quiet laugh over her jubilant smile.

"Anyway, I live at La Push now!"

She gasped and started bouncing again. "Really? Really?"

"Yeah," I laughed. "I wouldn't lie to you!"

"Have you met Jake?"

My face fell a bit. "Yeah."

She touched my face. "Brandi? What's wrong?"

"He's a jerk! I can tell he wanted to feel me up, the idiot! And then he said I smelt bad!"

Her face registered her surprise. "Really?"

I put my hand on my hip as well as I could sitting down, but one hand was stuck in Bella's grasp. "Bella! Shame on you! We've been over this, haven't we?" I continued, ignoring her laughing, "I would never lie to you! I didn't lie to you about my powers, did I?"

"No, I suppose not," she said, done laughing now, her face as mock serious as mine. Then we collapsed in gales of hysterical laughter.

And so my good humor was restored. (Just kidding. I have none. Good humor, I mean.)

"By the way… Who's Edward?" I asked.

Bella blushed, which wasn't uncommon, but she was like, beet red. "My boyfriend."

"Really?" I gasped.

"Yep!" Bella was practically glowing.

"What's he like?"

"Well, to start off, he's a vegetarian vampire, and he looks like those Greek gods we saw in a book once…" she continued telling me about him, including that he often sneaks into her room.

(A/N: Yes, of course Bella told her. I mean, jeez, Brandi shoots fire out of her hands. Maybe there's something special about her! {Really?! O and an M and a G!}*heavy sarcasm*)

"And… I'm getting _married_ to him!!!" We started bouncing on the bed again, planning out every single detail of the wedding.

When we were done, Bella asked me, "Well, Brandi, do you want to sleep here tonight?"

"Sure! Can I call my mom?"

"Yeper-doodles!" ('Nother A/N: I am not hyper! *sticks tongue out*)

I informed my mom and promptly fell asleep. I guess fighting the vampire tired me out more than I had originally thought.

***

Bella's POV:

Well, I was ticked off at Jake. Brandi was my best friend, and there was no way in hell I was going to let Jake be mean to her. So I called Jake, intending to give him a piece of my mind.

But Seth picked up.

"Hel-"

"Jake, you idiot, how dare you-"

"Err… Bella? This is Seth."

"…Oh."

"Jake isn't here. He's out looking for Brandi."

"Well, tell him to come back, she's at my place."

"She's with you? Good. Jake would be pissed if anything happened to her."

This was news to me. "He would? Why?"

There was a long, awkward silence, and I could tell that Seth was debating what or what not to tell me. "Well, he kinda… He imprinted on her, Bella."

"Oh," I said, the air knocked out of my lungs. "'Kay."

"Yeah…" There was a rather awkward pause. "Well, I'll tell him you called, and that Brandi's over at Charlie's." Another awkward pause. "You _are_ at Charlie's, right?"

I stiffened and replied, my voice icy, "For now." With that, I hung up.

I turned to see Brandi sitting up in bed and smiling at me. "Thanks, Bells."

"For what? I didn't do anything." I sighed, and then pouted. "He wasn't there, so I couldn't even get a real yelling streak on."

"For helping." She patted the sheet beside her, and I went and sat down. "Anyway, I'm glad he didn't answer. This way, I can yell at him myself." Her eyes hardened.

"Umm… Brandi, I need to tell you something."

"What? What's wrong?" She peered at me. "Bella?" she said in a worried voice.

And then, seeing no other option, I told her what Jake had helped me figure out so long ago:

That Jake and his gang were werewolves.


	10. Fear My Blunt Instrument of Torture!

Fear My Blunt Instrument Of Torture!

Jake's POV:

I was totally and completely freaked out. Running as a wolf is fun, but I was too tired and scared to care. I couldn't find Brandi anywhere. What if she was dead? Seth had called me back, saying they had found her, but they didn't say if they had found her alive or dead.

Oh god, I hoped against all hopes that she wasn't dead. Dead… The word made me feel like I was going to hurl. And after I thought about what I had said to her… other girls had committed suicide when boys said things like that to them. But she wouldn't… would she?

I finally made it back to the house and staggered through the door.

"Jake, you're finally here," Leah said. She was standing at the end of the hallway and smiling. I had a suspicion that I was going to be deeply sorry if I asked, but…

"Where's Brandi?" There, I had said it.

"At Bella's" was her answer, and I groaned. I had to face Bella _and_ I had to keep running? Wait; maybe I didn't have to run.

I staggered out to my Rabbit I had worked so hard to build. Now, it didn't really seem to matter.

"I'm going to… I'm going to get Brandi," I said, exhaustion causing me to have stop in the middle of my sentence and start again.

She smirked. "Not dressed like that you're not, are you? I mean, it would be funny, but Sam would probably kill me for letting you go out like that."

While she rambled, I looked down. Then I groaned in horror. My embarrassment quickly overcame my fatigue. I was naked!

When I was finally dressed in clothing (pants, a shirt is just a difficulty), I drove to Bella's.

It was too late to ring the doorbell. I quickly jumped into her room, wincing as the sore muscles in my leg strained. At first I thought there was no one there, but out of the corner of my eye, I spotted a shadow. Turning, I saw Brandi sitting on the bed. Her head was in her hands. Her shoulders were shuddering, and I could hear sobbing. Was she… crying?

Oh, hell. Let me tell you, you do not know guilt until you see the girl you love crying, and figure out she's probably crying her eyes out cause of you.

"Umm… Brandi? You okay?"

"Now Jake," came a voice from the hallway. "What exactly to you think the answer to that question is?"

I turned to see Bella at the door, illuminated by the backlight of the hallway.

"No?" I questioned, edgy for a reason I couldn't imagine. I mean, I'm a werewolf, right? I shouldn't be scared of anything, right?

Well, tell that to the alarm bell in my head. Actually, that was probably because I was way out of my depth. I mean, vampires? No sweat. Girls? I totally freeze up.

Brandi had gotten up off the bed, and was standing by the door. Wait, wasn't she crying a minute ago? Those were FAKE tears?! What?!

"Bella?" Brandi said.

"Yes, Brandi?" Bella asked sweetly. That's right! How did they know each other?

"Please give me the crowbar."

"Of course, Brandi."

I watched the events with a growing horror. A crowbar?! They could hurt someone with that!

It was clear they intended to. Namely, that person would be me.

'Uh, guys? There's really no need for violence…" my voice trailed off as they came closer. "And why a crowbar?"

"You told me to hit you with a baseball bat or a crowbar next time," Bella reminded me, Brandi advancing even as she spoke.

"How do you two know each other?" I asked, trying to sidetrack them.

"We're cousins." They smiled at each other. Damn. Cousins? That makes my life a bit harder.

"Jake?" Bella said, suddenly appearing in my line of vision.

"…Huh?" I said at last, a bit too preoccupied with the rapidly approaching Blunt Instrument Of Torture to pay attention.

"Brandi has something to say to you. And you, young man, have something to say to her, don't you?"

Make that a _lot_ harder.

"…I'm sorry?" I said, because it was the first thing that popped into my head.

"That's a start," Brandi said. "Next time, how 'bout you say it with more conviction?"

_Next time?_ I wondered. Saying there was a next time meant she would stick around, right? Brandi whapped me on the head with the Blunt Instrument Of Torture as I opened my mouth to 'say it with more conviction.' I reeled, and my last thought was, _Boy, that girl packs a lot of strength in that tiny body of hers_.

The last thing I heard was, "Sucker."


	11. Umm Ouch?

Jake's POV:

I woke to hear a lot of laughing. Sam came in and saw me with my eyes open.

"Guys, he's awake!" he yelled. "So, Jake," he said, looking back at me and grinning. I could tell this wouldn't be good. "You got beat up by a girl. How does it feel?" 

"Like hell," I replied, wincing as I got to my feet.

"Hah. Well, anyway," he continued, "it was kinda funny."

Quill popped up by the door. "And by 'kinda,' he means 'very.'"

"Well," I snarled. "Forgive me for not laughing. After all, she did almost beat my brains out."

"What brains?" Sam persisted, causing them to go into another uproarious laughing fit.

"Hilarious," I growled.

"What's going on?"

I turned as Brandi appeared in the doorway, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. For a second, I just stared at her. How was it possible that, after everything she had put me through, I could still love her?

"Well, Randi," Sam said, too serious for the laughing fit that had plagued him earlier, "We were teasing Jake."

I looked at him in terror. Not because he was ribbing me, but cause of her nickname. I mean, really. Randi? How much stupider can you get?

Judging by the dark look on Brandi's face, she didn't like it much either. "Well, _Samantha_," she replied with deliberate calmness. "I think you two should stop teasing him and go eat before I hurt you. I mean, Jake _could_ probably take you, but two on one isn't exactly my idea of fair. What about you?"

They slunk away.

***

Jake's POV:

Later, Paul and I were laughing over how stupid they had looked running away from Brandi. Sam and Quill were hiding out in the kitchen.

I slapped Paul on the back and put my arm around him.

"Is that some kind of hug?" Emily asked. She'd been watching from the doorway, amusement and bewilderment clouding her face.

"It's a man thing," I answered. After all, hugs were for sissies. Or girls.

"Are you saying girls are sissies?" Brandi asked. She had appeared in the doorway behind Emily.

"Err… No. I'm not." Hurriedly realizing I had said that last part out loud, I tried to backtrack.

"Good. Cause, y'know…" she stepped closer, a smile lighting her serious face. For a second, I was dazzled by the brightness, a fog clouding my brain. I shook my head and listened to hat she was saying.

"Ninety-nine percent of gay marriages start with a touch on the shoulder." She looked pointedly at our arms, which were still around each other's shoulders.

Paul was first to pull away, almost hitting me in the face with his arm in his haste to get away from me. I wasn't far behind.

"Ewww!!!!!" we both yelled at once. "No way- I would never- I'm not- That's just _disgusting_!!!!"

Brandi and Emily were laughing too much to say anything. Once everyone else came in to see what the fuss was about, they started howling with laughter, too.

"Okay, everyone, SHUT UP!!" We (Paul and I) were yelling when Billy came in. He took one look around and said, "You know what? I'm not going to even ask."

That sent the rest of them into yet another laughing fit. Frankly, Paul and I didn't see what was so funny.

***

Brandi's POV:

Jacob walked through the living room. In reality, it was more like stomping. He looked really pissed. Emily and Kim, Jared's girlfriend, sent me looks; obviously implying I should talk to him.

Well, I'm sorry. Actually, I'm really not. I just couldn't help teasing him. It was fun.

Oh god. I sat up in terror. Did that mean… I like him?

No. Not possible, I thought, shaking my head violently even as each word echoed through my brain. Then another horrible thought entered. Did… he love me?

No way! He only knew about half of me anyway. Werewolf or not, I couldn't live with someone, hiding half my life from them. I wouldn't be happy, and he wouldn't be either, once he found out.

'Specially not Jake. I shuddered to think 'bout what he would say. Ugh. I'd probably go deaf with all the yelling.

"Brandi?" Kim asked. "Is anything wrong?"

Wrong? Why would she think that? Oh. I realized I had been shaking my head so hard my entire body was shaking, like I was having a seizure.

"Oh," I said, faintly embarrassed. "No, nothing's wrong." And, believe me, it was the truth.

Kinda.


	12. Meet DON'T KILL the Future InLaws

Brandi's POV:

Bella strolled into my room and flopped onto my bed, jostling my homework. I didn't care, because I was sitting at my desk, messing around on my computer.

"Playing and not doing your homework?" She clicked her tongue mock-disapprovingly. Though she was only a year older then me, Bella enjoyed acting like my 'older sister', if I had one. Or maybe it's just motherly genes left over from helping Renee grow up. I understand why she's marrying a vampire: no need to worry about a 'third kid'.

Maybe I'm just in a 'quote-ish' mood, okay? Shove it.

"So, I was thinking…"

"Hm… no noticeable injuries. So what'd you blow up in your skull this time?" she questioned.

"An artery. Now be quiet, I'm serious. I think I should meet my future in-laws," I informed her.

Apparently, whatever she thought I was going to ask was not this.

"You serious?! You want to meet the… the-" Since she seemed to have trouble getting the word out, I helped.

"Vampires? Yeah. Is that a problem? After all, if I'm going to live here, they should know that I can hurt them." At the look on Bell's face, I hurriedly added, "But I won't. Unless they hurt you."

She flinched and looked away. "They wouldn't."

"They did." My quiet affirmation made her look up quickly.

"H-how did you…? Oh, that's right, you're a wizard!"

"No… That's Harry Potter. I know because you looked away, smart one. And you suck at lying."

"…Oh." She stared at me.

It gave me the willies, so I snapped, "Tomorrow."

"So soon? We have to give them some warning-!"

I rolled my eyes and cut her off, saying, "They could clean the house in 5 minutes if they wanted! And, just so you know, normally I would go over right away, but I'm not going to."

"And why not?" she asked, sounding very suspicious.

"So they can hunt," I replied matter-of-factly. Then I made up my mind. "Okay! Call them and tell them they have visitors tomorrow!" I skipped out of the room, leaving Bella gaping like a fish after me.

* **

As I left, I let the memories wash over me, let myself remember my dad.

_He had demanded to talk to his daughter before they put him in jail. _

_He bent in front of me, moving to place his hands on my shoulders. I cringed away. Sighing, he said, "Brand icasli aoft!" _

_This, apparently, meant, 'Pass this keyfire on to the chosen'. Dumb, right? But it's what you have to say. _

"_Brandi, you don't know what I did, do you?" _

_I stared at him and shook my head. _

"_Well, first off, I chose your name when you were born. It means 'fire'." He seemed to be waiting for a sign from me, so I nodded, not knowing how this was relevant. "I am the Fire Mage. I can conjure fire, though these powers have been passed on to you. Hold on to them until I get out of here. Kill the vampires." _

_I sniffed his breath suspiciously. Hmm… he didn't smell like he'd been drinking… but with my dad, you never knew. _

"_I'm not drunk!" he hissed, guessing my thoughts. Guess I hadn't been discreet enough when I smelled his breath. "I drink to get rid of the memories… the pain of killing!" _

_Yeah, I could believe he killed people. "Dad, vampires don't exist," I told him as the police officers dragged him out. _

"_Yes, they do! Kill them!!!!" he screamed. _

_It sounded too much like a movie script for my taste, so I eventually forced myself to forget. It was easy enough, because I had enough on my plate. Declaring my mother an unfit parent, my father managed to get me placed in foster care. _

_Thanks, Dad. _

_As I turned 12, I discovered that he was right about my 'powers'. _

_When, as a 'birthday gift', some neighborhood bullies threw me in the Dumpster, I found myself angry enough to spit fire. And spit fire I did. Right onto them. _

_They ran home in tears, screaming about their burned clothes, bald heads, and the witch that had set them on fire. I wonder if they've gotten out of the asylum yet. _

_That was also the day of my first vampire attack. It seems the vampire had finally tracked down the 'Fire Mage' and discovered he had a daughter. I had been sitting in a tree, smirking at the stupid bullies, when I suddenly heard a quiet chuckle beside me. Whirling around, I saw a young man dressed in jeans and a T-shirt reclining beside me. _

"_Revenge is fun, isn't it?" was his quiet question. He never took his eyes off the bullies. _

"_Yep." I stared at him; I wasn't quite sure what I should do. One the one hand, I wasn't allowed to talk to strangers, but I could take him, if I wanted to. _

"_I have someone I need to get revenge on, too." _

"_Who?" _

_He looked at me. "The Fire Mage." _

_I was frozen like a rabbit caught in a hawk's gaze. His red eyes seemed to bore into me, dissecting all my feeling and pinning me down like a bug. _

_Reaching out to me, he licked his lips. It was enough to wake me out of my trance. I grabbed his face, probably the complete opposite of what he had expected me to do. My instincts told me to rip his flesh off and burn it. _

_The fire wouldn't come. _

_He laughed, guessing the cause of my shock. _

_I relaxed. Even when I feared for my life, I could tell he had a soft, calming laugh. Why did I want to burn him…? _

_Oh, that's right. Because he wanted to kill me. A flash of fire burst out of my fingers. _

_He froze. "How…?" _

"_Because I'm his daughter," I forced out through my gritted teeth. "Unfortunately." _

Since then, vampires have been just another constant in my life.

So, wonderful news: I'm going to be related to some soon, too!


	13. My InLaws Are Cooler Than Yours!

Brandi's POV:

When I told Bella I wanted to meet the vampires, I expected to meet a bunch of scraggly-looking wild-eyed animals in the woods. But no. These vampires had a _house_.

Actually, they had a mansion. And it wasn't even painted black or had blackout windows! …Wow, Hollywood had a lot to answer for if a vampire _hunter_ believed clichés like that…

I flinched as a 20-something year old woman walked in from the kitchen. Neither Bella nor the woman missed the small movement, and they didn't miss the small protective step I took to get in front of Bella.

I thought I caught a glimmer of sadness shining in the woman's eye for a moment. It quickly disappeared, if it had ever been there.

"I'm Esme. You must be Bella's cousin, Brandi," she softly said, as someone would to placate a scared animal. I thought she was supposed to eat them, not calm them. Or maybe that's some technique they'd developed to attract prey.

I grudgingly accepted that Bella had told her my name, but I didn't like it. After all, a named thing is a tamed thing. "Yes… It's nice to meet you, Mrs. Cullen." Hey, they may be dead, but courtesy is courtesy.

"Call me Esme. Oh, and this is Carlisle," she added as a handsome guy who didn't look more then 23 walked into the room. This must be Edward's dad. Or, rather, adoptive father. Okay, he was hot, I admit, if you like the blond type. Jake was way cuter… shut up now, Brandi.

"Hello," he said, nodding to us. "Edward and the rest should be here any second now… Edward! Alice! Emmett! Rosalie! Jasper! Come here, please!" he pleasantly called, as loud as if he were talking to someone 3 feet away.

And a second later, there they were. I jumped as a bronze-haired boy appeared right in front of me. They certainly weren't afraid to show their skills. In fact, they seemed almost baleful about it, glaring at me as if my presence threatened their very existence. And it did. I realized Bells must have told them that I was a hunter of their kind. I decided to put them at rest.

Slowly raising my arms in the universal gesture of peace, I said, "Um. Hi."

Not exactly the best speech of all time, I admit. But it seemed to work a bit, because about half of them visibly relaxed.

"Hello! I'm Alice!" A spiky-haired short teenage girl bounded up to me. "You're Bella's cousin, right?"

No, I'm her dog. But I replied, "Yep. And you're my future sister-in-law, if this all works out."

Edward (I assumed) grinned. "We can only hope!"

Bella blushed furiously, and I decided right then and there that the vamps of Forks were pretty damn awesome.


	14. I Hate My Conscience

Sorry this is short!

* * *

Brandi's POV:

So, I'm dating Jake now. Only problem?

He hasn't told me he's a werewolf yet. Bella told me, but I want to hear it from him. Anyway, this also means he doesn't trust me enough to tell me. And he 'imprinted' on me! The jerk.

But… he doesn't know about me, either. We've been dating for a week, and I still haven't told him. I would be fine with this, if it wasn't for one thing…

My conscience. It keeps bothering (or guilt-tripping me) to tell him. Damn you, conscience.

I was sitting with him on his bed, with his arm around my shoulders. Okay, breathe, I told myself. You can do it.

I shrugged out from underneath his arm. "Jake…?"

He looked up. "Yeah?" He must have seen something in my eyes to make him wary, because he stiffened.

"I, err… have something to tell you."

He sat up slowly. "What?"

I took a deep breath, but that didn't stop me from choking in the middle. "I'm… I'm a vampire…"


	15. I am NOT a Bloody Leech!

Brandi's POV:

"You're… a vampire?!" Jake vaulted off the bed and put as much space as was possible in his small room between us. "But… you told me you weren't! And… you don't smell like a vampire! Or are you a half vampire?! I have to tell Sam that the vampires have a new weapon!" He was clearly grasping at straws here.

"Jake" was all I said. But then I got pissed. He wasn't even listening! "Jake! JAKE!!!"

He stopped and half-looked me in the eyes, putting as much scorn as he could in his next two words. "What, leech?" He glared at me.

"Don't call me that!" I snapped. "I am not a vampire! I'm a vampire _hunter_! God, you're not even listening!"

"A vampire… hunter?" He looked stunned. "What is that?"

"It's someone who hunts vampires," I hissed, still steaming over the whole 'leech' thing. And duh, it's completely obvious! 'Vampire hunter' = 'hunter of vampires'. DUH!

"You're a witch?"

Finally he got it. "Give the man a prize!"

He looked even more shell-shocked. "I saw you shoot fire out of your hands," he finally said when he was capable of rational thought again.

"Did you?" I asked, faintly amazed. I couldn't remember ever using my powers in front of him. "Oh, wait, you saw me take down that vampire, didn't you?"

"Yeah. But… you told the blood sucker you weren't a witch!"

"That's cause I'm technically not. The only thing I know how to do is shoot fire. And don't call the vampires 'blood suckers'. In case you forgot, Bella's marrying one soon."

He groaned. "Don't remind me. Wait- does that mean you'll kill them?" He looked really hopeful, and that made me mad. Bella was in love with one of them! They were like family! Wait… Did he want me to kill them so he could have Bella?

Down, girl, I reminded myself. He's not yours.

I thought about it. "No," I said eventually. "If Bella believes they won't kill anyone, then I'm sure we'll get along. I'll keep an eye on them, though, just like I promised I'd watch the werewolves, too. Anyway, I only kill murderers and ones that come after me first."

"Oh," he sighed, depressed. "Wait, who made you promise?"

"The vampires. But I thought a big strong pack like yours could take them."

"Yeah, but we have a treaty with them. You met 'em?"

"Yeah." Leaving it at that, I continued, "A treaty? Really?"

He gave me a look. "Would I lie to you?"

I pretended to think about it. "Yes. Yes, you would."

The low mood was broken by that comment, and he grinned at me devilishly. "Do you really think that?"

I could sense an underlying tension. I didn't want to think about the weight that question had on our relationship. I answered seriously, "No. I don't."

He stared at me. Then, suddenly, he was kissing me.


	16. Um Could You Get Off Now?

Last one! :D Sorry it's taken so long!

* * *

Brandi's POV:

He had never kissed me before. I had drawn careful lines for our relationship, and whenever it seemed like we were going to cross them, I stopped. Actually, I always stopped before he could kiss me, too.

And… It felt pretty good. Why hadn't I kissed him before? Cause, after all, you kiss the ones you love, right…?

Whoa. Where had that come from? I wrenched away from him, and tripped over a shirt Jake had left on the floor. Boy, he really needed to clean up his room. Even though it was really small, he could still _try_ to be neat.

"Brandi?" he asked, slowly opening his eyes. I'm sure he was surprised seeing me on the floor. I was pretty surprised, too.

"Brandi, why are you crying?" He sounded worried.

"I'm… crying?"

He looked scared. I think he thought that I had temporary amnesia, or I was crazy, or something. No matter which one it was, he obviously decided that it was a bad thing.

(If you ever tell anyone I was crying, I will hunt you down. Yep, I'm talking to you, the one laughing over there. You have been warned.)

"Brandi? Brandi, what's wrong??" He was sounding really panicked now, because I wouldn't answer him. "Please, stop crying!"

Of course, I kept crying. I never do what people order me to do, no matter what. It's a pride thing.

"I… I don't know what's wrong!" My tears were mostly frustrated tears now. I dug the heels of my hands into my eye-sockets, trying to get the tears to stop.

"Sorry! I won't ever kiss you again, if you don't want…" his voice trailed off.

"S'okay," I mumbled. Thankfully, the tears were flowing less freely now. "I… I want you to… kiss me." I finally stopped crying, but couldn't bring myself to look at him.

"Good. Cause… I love you," he finished. He glanced at me anxiously.

"Love you, too." I hugged him.

"OH MY GOSH!!! AM I, LIKE, INTERRUPTING?" Quill yelled when he came in. He, Sam, Jared, and Embry burst into gales of laughter until Emily and Kim shooed them away.

Jake and I looked at each other. "Wanna go kick their butts?" he asked.

I nodded, grinning. He grabbed my hand and pulled me out of the room. Man, I do love him, don't I?

And suddenly, I remembered.

"_Does that mean I'm bad?"_

"_No, sweetie. It means you'll always be loved." _


End file.
